Canon releases four consumer camcorders: ZR500, ZR600, ZR700, and Elura 100

Canon is throwing down four new consumer camcorders designed for DV beginners -- three models in the ZR series and the Elura 100. All four sport Canon's Widescreen high resolution feature allowing full-screen image viewing on widescreen TVs, and each uses a 2.7-inch Widescreen display planel. The ZR series features 25x optical zoom, with the ZR500 and 600 (pictured above left and right, respectively) doing an 800x digital zoom and an 1000x digital zoom available on the ZR700. All the ZRs also include a level shot control to avoid crooked shooting and digital photo capture to SD media, and are available for $299 (ZR500), $349 (ZR600) and $399 (ZR700), respectively, with the Elura coming in at $399. Look for availability on the ZRs at the end of this month, with the Elura making its appearance at the end of February.